‘UP police operation ‘Jagriti’ boosts women’s safety across Agra zone’
“As a result of the awareness programme under ‘Operation Jagriti’, crimes against women have decreased in the Agra zone.”
The UP police initiative ‘Operation Jagriti’ in the Agra region has significantly enhanced women’s safety and empowerment at the grassroots level, resulting in a notable decrease in crime against women across the entire zone, according to senior police officials.
“As a result of the awareness programme under ‘Operation Jagriti’, crimes against women have decreased in the Agra zone. Influenced by this campaign, 72 false complaints in districts including Aligarh-11, Etah-14, Hathras-6, Kasganj-1, Mathura-13, Firozabad-26, and Mainpuri-1, filed by women and girls, have been withdrawn,” said senior police officials on Friday, sharing an impact assessment report prepared by director IIM Indore Himanshi Rai in relation to “Operation Jagriti” by Naveen Krishna Rai of IIM Indore.
In a press note shared with the media, officials highlighted that this programme has effectively reached weaker sections of society through various departments such as beat constables (police department), ASHAs (health department), teachers (education department), panchayat secretaries (panchayat department), fostering harmonious coordination between government departments.
The report was presented by UP Director General of Police (DGP) Prashant Kumar along with Naveen Krishna Rai on Friday. Praising “Operation Jagriti”, the DGP emphasised that such programmes increase awareness among women and girls about crimes against them, positively impacting their safety and empowerment. He noted that IIM Indore deployed research teams across seven districts in the Agra region, with clear roles defined for each department employee and an ongoing feedback mechanism.
ADG Agra zone Anupam Kulshrestha launched Operation Jagriti (Intensive Community Outreach for Empowering Women & Girls for Safety and Awareness) inspired by the Mission Shakti campaign. The police, in coordination with UNICEF and other departments like health, education, rural development, national rural livelihood mission (NRLM), women and child development (ICDS), youth and sports department, psychologists, and counsellors, conducted Phase 1 of the programme from November 11, 2023, to January 24, 2024. Phase 2, running from June 24, 2024, to July 13, 2024, aims to cover at least 40% of gram panchayats in the Agra zone, including families around brick kilns, OYO hotel staff, railway colonies, etc.
The main objectives of the programme include providing support and counselling to women victims of crime, raising awareness about the misuse of women in false cases related to land and property, educating youth and parents about elopement, love relationships, and gender harassment, as well as creating awareness about cyberbullying and cybercrime.
Phase 1 began in Mathura district, followed by district and block-level training, and was subsequently implemented at the gram panchayat, school-college, and urban ward levels. Over 13 lakh people, mainly women and youth, were reached through grassroots community outreach programmes in 3924 village panchayats, 2100 schools, and over 1600 urban wards across the zone.
Geo-tagging data from all seven districts of the Agra Zone indicates that more than 12 lakh people participated, including 3,53,355 girls and 2,99,119 boys below 18 years, and 3,36,168 women and 2,60,138 boys above 18 years. Numerous success stories emerged during gram panchayat-level awareness programmes, highlighting instances where complainants withdrew false complaints inspired by Operation Jagriti.
Looking forward, Operation Jagriti Phase 2 aims to leverage identified hotspots for more effective implementation, further strengthening women’s security and empowerment in the region.
